Singers, Politicians, Doctors among 2022 College Graduation Speakers
2022-04-24
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1Popular singer Taylor Swift is expected to be one of the well-known people speaking to students and their families at graduation events in the United States this May.
2The singer planned to perform in places around the world in 2020.
3But she canceled her tour because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
4However, if you are a family member of a 2022 New York University graduate, you will be able to see Swift next month.
5The performer is receiving an honorary degree at the university's graduation ceremony, also called commencement, on May 18.
6The event will be held at Yankee Stadium, the home of the famous baseball team.
7Swift is one of many well-known people who will be speaking to students and their families at graduation events in May.
8This year's list includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, actor Tyler Perry, and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
9Fauci is director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services.
10He has been the top U.S. infectious disease official during the pandemic.
11Fauci will speak at Princeton University in New Jersey on May 23.
12Perry will speak on May 9 at Emory University in Atlanta.
13Perry is an actor and movie maker known for creating the humorous character Madea.
14But he is also known for parts in Precious, Gone Girl and Don't Look Up.
15Ardern won praise for strong policies at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
16Those policies are credited with keeping case numbers low in New Zealand.
17She will speak at Harvard University on May 26.
18NYU students graduating next month told the publication Inside Higher Ed that they are already being contacted by strangers.
19People are asking to buy their tickets for hundreds of dollars.
20NYU students only receive two tickets to the event, which normally go to their parents.
21Sean Nesmith is graduating in May.
22He used Twitter to post the image of a message he received from a person asking for his tickets to the event.
23The person said they would "make a huge sign" and cheer for Nesmith using a device that increases the sound of your voice called a megaphone.
24"I promise I will be your biggest fan there," the person wrote.
25"It's just crazy," Nesmith told the publication.
26However, he did note that there will probably be some people, especially international students, who sell their tickets because their parents will not make the trip to New York.
27However, NYU has said it could punish students who sell their tickets for money.
28NYU's president is Andrew Hamilton.
29He said the 2022 commencement is exciting since it is the first time since 2019 that NYU will be able to correctly honor its graduates.
30"I cannot overstate how thrilled I am to be coming together in person," Hamilton said in a story posted on NYU's website.
31The university will have two events, in fact.
32One honoring the class of 2022 will be held in the morning.
33That one includes Swift. Another one honoring students from 2020 and 2021 will take place in the evening.
34Fauci will speak at the Princeton event known as Class Day.
35It takes place the day before the school's commencement.
36The university's Class Day is organized by a group of students.
37It will be the first time the event will be held in person since 2019.
38The organizers of the event said Fauci played a big part in helping students have a "much more normal senior year."
39They credited his work on public health policy during the pandemic.
40At Harvard at the end of May, Ardern will be the main speaker at the university's event for graduates.
41President Lawrence Bacow noted Ardern's efforts to deal with such issues as gender equity and climate change, in addition to her work keeping New Zealand safe during the early days of the pandemic.
42He praised Ardern's "compassionate leadership."
43Harvard will hold a separate event later in May for students who graduated in 2020 and 2021 who could not attend their graduation in person.
44At Emory University in Atlanta, Tyler Perry will be the main speaker at the school's graduation on May 9.
45Perry centers his movie production in Atlanta.
46Universities sometimes pay their famous commencement speakers.
47In 2016, the Associated Press wrote that Rutgers University in New Jersey paid writer Toni Morrison $30,000 in 2011 and the University of Houston paid actor Matthew McConaughey $166,000 to speak in in 2015.
48The actor donated the money to charity.
49A spokesperson for Kean University in New Jersey said a well-known speaker "makes their commencement just that much more memorable."
50Some schools including Harvard and the University of California-Berkeley usually do not pay their speakers.
51Others only pay travel costs.
52The honor of speaking at Harvard seems to be payment enough for people, such as movie director Steven Spielberg, who spoke in 2016.
53Speaking to CNN last year, Scott Jaschik from Inside Higher Ed, described what he thinks students want from a commencement speaker.
54He said: "Students expect somebody who is reasonably famous and who will inspire them in some way."
55I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Caty Weaver.
1Popular singer Taylor Swift is expected to be one of the well-known people speaking to students and their families at graduation events in the United States this May. 2The singer planned to perform in places around the world in 2020. But she canceled her tour because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 3However, if you are a family member of a 2022 New York University graduate, you will be able to see Swift next month. 4The performer is receiving an honorary degree at the university's graduation ceremony, also called commencement, on May 18. The event will be held at Yankee Stadium, the home of the famous baseball team. 5Swift is one of many well-known people who will be speaking to students and their families at graduation events in May. 6This year's list includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, actor Tyler Perry, and New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. 7Fauci is director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services. He has been the top U.S. infectious disease official during the pandemic. Fauci will speak at Princeton University in New Jersey on May 23. 8Perry will speak on May 9 at Emory University in Atlanta. Perry is an actor and movie maker known for creating the humorous character Madea. But he is also known for parts in Precious, Gone Girl and Don't Look Up. 9Ardern won praise for strong policies at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those policies are credited with keeping case numbers low in New Zealand. She will speak at Harvard University on May 26. 10NYU students graduating next month told the publication Inside Higher Ed that they are already being contacted by strangers. People are asking to buy their tickets for hundreds of dollars. NYU students only receive two tickets to the event, which normally go to their parents. 11Sean Nesmith is graduating in May. He used Twitter to post the image of a message he received from a person asking for his tickets to the event. 12The person said they would "make a huge sign" and cheer for Nesmith using a device that increases the sound of your voice called a megaphone. "I promise I will be your biggest fan there," the person wrote. 13"It's just crazy," Nesmith told the publication. However, he did note that there will probably be some people, especially international students, who sell their tickets because their parents will not make the trip to New York. However, NYU has said it could punish students who sell their tickets for money. 14NYU's president is Andrew Hamilton. He said the 2022 commencement is exciting since it is the first time since 2019 that NYU will be able to correctly honor its graduates. 15"I cannot overstate how thrilled I am to be coming together in person," Hamilton said in a story posted on NYU's website. 16The university will have two events, in fact. One honoring the class of 2022 will be held in the morning. That one includes Swift. Another one honoring students from 2020 and 2021 will take place in the evening. 17Fauci will speak at the Princeton event known as Class Day. It takes place the day before the school's commencement. The university's Class Day is organized by a group of students. It will be the first time the event will be held in person since 2019. 18The organizers of the event said Fauci played a big part in helping students have a "much more normal senior year." They credited his work on public health policy during the pandemic. 19At Harvard at the end of May, Ardern will be the main speaker at the university's event for graduates. President Lawrence Bacow noted Ardern's efforts to deal with such issues as gender equity and climate change, in addition to her work keeping New Zealand safe during the early days of the pandemic. He praised Ardern's "compassionate leadership." 20Harvard will hold a separate event later in May for students who graduated in 2020 and 2021 who could not attend their graduation in person. 21At Emory University in Atlanta, Tyler Perry will be the main speaker at the school's graduation on May 9. Perry centers his movie production in Atlanta. 22Costly speakers 23Universities sometimes pay their famous commencement speakers. In 2016, the Associated Press wrote that Rutgers University in New Jersey paid writer Toni Morrison $30,000 in 2011 and the University of Houston paid actor Matthew McConaughey $166,000 to speak in in 2015. The actor donated the money to charity. 24A spokesperson for Kean University in New Jersey said a well-known speaker "makes their commencement just that much more memorable." 25Some schools including Harvard and the University of California-Berkeley usually do not pay their speakers. Others only pay travel costs. The honor of speaking at Harvard seems to be payment enough for people, such as movie director Steven Spielberg, who spoke in 2016. 26Speaking to CNN last year, Scott Jaschik from Inside Higher Ed, described what he thinks students want from a commencement speaker. 27He said: "Students expect somebody who is reasonably famous and who will inspire them in some way." 28I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Caty Weaver. 29Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 30Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 31Words in This Story 32tour -n. a series of related performances or appearances 33graduation - n. a ceremony at which degrees or diplomas are given out 34character - n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show 35ticket - n. a piece of paper or other sign that lets a person see an event, show or performance 36crazy - adj. very strange or unusual 37overstate -v. to say that (something) is larger or greater than it really is 38thrill - adj. to cause (someone) to feel very excited or happy 39compassionate - adj. showing concern for people who are sick, hurt, poor or in difficulty 40charity -n. the act of giving money, food, or other kinds of help to people who are poor, sick 41inspire - v. to cause someone to decide for themselves that they want to do something; to cause someone to feel emotions